Ceiling collapse at Loughborough student halls raises safety concerns
Want to share a story about student accommodation? Get in touch at heresthestory@itn.co.uk
A ceiling collapse inside a student accommodation block at Loughborough University has prompted serious concerns about the condition of housing provided to students across the country.
A video posted to social media earlier this week showed the moment a ceiling in a block of flats began leaking as the occupiers in the property watched on.
Just seconds later, the ceiling fell through completely, leaving what appeared to be soil and other debris spread across the room and the student's bed.
The incident occurred in one of the student villages located on Loughborough University campus.
When ITV News visited the site, the affected block had a strong smell of damp and soil and, despite the collapse, only the student who had occupied the room where the collapse happened had been moved from the building. The person living above had not been moved.
Students told us it's not the first time a ceiling has collapsed. Earlier this year another ceiling in the same block collapsed leaving similar debris across the student's room.
Another student on campus described how they had waited weeks for a basic fault in their room to be fixed by the maintenance team.
Students living in these halls can pay up to £10,026.04 per student year for their accommodation.
Since ITV News reached out to other students on social media, we've heard multiple similar accounts from universities across the country.
Some included no running water from taps for months on end, multiple ceiling collapses due to damp conditions, hot water issues for entire academic years and vermin infestations that were never solved.
Loughborough University said: “As soon as the University was made aware of this issue action was taken to support the student impacted. "A thorough inspection of the accommodation was carried out and the root cause of the issue has been identified and repaired."Detailed checks of other rooms in the student housing block have taken place.”
The collapse is the latest in a series of concerns raised about student housing conditions across the UK. A national survey earlier this year by the National Union of Students UK found that 69% of students had experienced at least one issue with their accommodation.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...